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Electronic Release: June 2013

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

To Kyle, Jared and Sydney. Thanks for DIY dinners and not breaking my door down when a deadline looms near. I love you guys.

To those people like me, who believe a marathon session of Supernatural, Buffy or Walking Dead is a suitable form of research.

And to Bronwyn—if I’d asked one more question, you would have been my official co-author! Thank you for your patience, advice and endless knowledge of all things paranormal, even if you do mistakenly fancy Dean over Sam.

Chapter One

“I’m not so sure this was a good idea.”

Annie Dunnigan stood at the edge of the property, staring at the abandoned house nestled behind a collection of maple trees that nearly obscured it from the street. Flickering glimpses of faded wooden siding and wrought-iron accents peeked out amidst rustling leaves and thick branches as the wind kicked up small eddies of dirt and carried them across the yard. A jagged flash of light blazed between the rolling storm clouds, casting the scene in harsh relief as the last rays of light faded into dusk.

A hint of lavender carried on the breeze, the heady fragrance a stark contrast to the dark energy surrounding the deserted property. A clap of thunder resonated through the air, making it feel charged as the rumbling gradually faded into an eerie silence. Annie wrapped her arms around herself, once again questioning why she’d agreed to tag along with Temperance and Avery on their next ghost hunt.

“Maybe because you wanted to get a better appreciation for what we do.”

Annie jumped as Avery’s hand settled on her shoulder the same moment his voice sounded behind her. She grabbed her chest, whirling on him.

“Jesus Christ, Avery. Don’t scare me like that.” She ran a shaky hand through her hair, thankful she hadn’t tied it back yet. “And stop reading my thoughts. Unlike Tempie, I don’t find it all that amusing.”

Temperance stepped up beside Avery, swatting him across the shoulder. “I don’t find it amusing either, but the man’s inherently stubborn.”

He turned to his wife, gracing her with a stunning smile even Annie found boyishly charming. “I have few defenses against the female race. You wouldn’t deny me my one gift, would you?”

Temperance shook her head, smiling when Avery leaned in and slanted his mouth over hers. They didn’t seem to remember Annie was simply standing there, trying not to watch as the kiss intensified.

Annie sighed and turned away, once again staring at the boarded up windows and tattered roofline. Though she’d never admit it, Avery was right. She’d agreed to come in the hopes of understanding their life’s work, now that her sister had become partners with Avery, and not just as his wife. Together with Avery’s younger brother Blake, they headed Smith Investigations, a paranormal research company that seemed to have no shortage of creepy ghosts to hunt.

Ghosts
.

She took a calming breath. Even though Temperance insisted the damn things existed, and had spent the past several years investigating all forms of paranormal activity, Annie had yet to witness any kind of unexplained behavior. Not that she doubted her sister—she had complete faith in Temperance. But being a behavioral psychologist, Annie’s natural instincts were to go on hard, empirical proof. And she secretly worried that nothing short of having a spirit materialize in front of her would be enough to dispel those irritating inklings of doubt that always surfaced when she was faced with the prospect of ghosts.

“Which is really why you agreed to come.”

Annie huffed, glancing at Avery over her shoulder. Though she’d originally scoffed at the idea of him “reading minds”, it hadn’t taken long before she’d been forced to accept the truth—a truth that undoubtedly put her other beliefs into question.

“Not funny.”

His lips curled into a wicked grin. “Oh, but it is.” He nodded at her. “Don’t worry. I’m sure, by the time we’re done, you’ll have all the evidence you need to come to the only rational conclusion.”

“Somehow the words ghost and rational don’t seem to belong in the same sentence. But I hope you’re right. Not that I don’t trust you guys, it’s just…”

“Seeing is believing.” He grabbed a bag. “Shall we?”

Annie forced herself to swallow past the huge lump forming in the throat. “Sure. Hey. Where’s Blake?” She laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a ghost hunter who seems to hate ghosts as much as he does.”

Avery grinned. “And yet, he spends half his time in Virginia City. Speaking of which, Payton had an appointment she couldn’t miss. Methinks they’re going to be making an announcement soon.”

Temperance swatted him again as she walked past him, taking Annie by the arm. “Damn it, Avery. Stop spoiling everything. Blake and Payton should be able to surprise us at least once.”

“I can’t help it if the woman screams her thoughts at me. And there’s always the chance I’m wrong.”

Temperance just shook her head, tugging Annie toward the house. Annie held back another round of laughter, wondering if she’d ever find someone who connected with her the way Avery did with her sister. Though they seemed to enjoy sparring with each other, their love was
palpable
, and Annie couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous. Avery chuckled behind her, and she didn’t even look back at him as she held up her other hand and flipped him off.

Her sister giggled, angling them over to the main entrance. A thick wooden door with a grease-smudged window sat half off its hinges, the handle nothing more than a piece of broken brass that had tarnished to a dull brown.

Annie scoffed. “Are you sure this place isn’t going to fall down on us if we go in? It doesn’t look very sturdy.” She inhaled, covering her mouth and nose with the back of her hand. “And I don’t even want to guess what that smell is.”

Avery grabbed the door, lifting the edge as he bodily moved it out of the way. “Don’t let appearances fool you. This place was built nearly a hundred years ago. I doubt anything short of an act of god would bring it down.” He lowered the edge of the door onto the stained hardwood floor, kicking up a billow of dust. He waved away the particles, turning his head slightly. “Of course, staph infection on the other hand…”

Temperance groaned. “That’s honestly his idea of a joke, sis. Believe me, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the Smith boys all have a distorted sense of humor. Hell, they still play childish pranks on each other. Just last week, Blake uploaded a bunch of zombie sounds on the EVP recorder. Scared the shit out of me when I played it back during an investigation.”

Avery smiled. “He’d meant for me to hear them, darling. Not you.”

“Don’t think I buy that excuse for a moment,
darling
.” Temperance motioned to the open door. “It’s fine. And safe. Just be careful walking around and try not to break anything.”

Annie nodded, then glanced back at her sister as Avery and she unpacked a seemingly endless supply of gadgets. “EVPs are spirit voices you hear within the white noise of the recorder, right?”

“Sometimes we get lucky, and we can hear words without anything, but usually, it requires some form of help.” Avery handed her a small device. “And this small unit has proven quite useful in gathering that kind of evidence.”

She turned the recorder over in her hand, ignoring her inner voice as it screamed at her that this was nothing more than a parlor show. “And Blake makes all of your equipment?”

“My little brother’s a man of many talents, and while he hates ghosts, as you so pointedly remembered, he loves tinkering with anything electronic. The guy whips up stuff even I never imagined.”

She cocked her head slightly. “Now Avery. That sounded like a genuine compliment.”

“Must have been a moment of weakness. Blake’s also an ass.”

Annie lifted one corner of her mouth. “He has a nice ass, I’ll grant him that much. But then Tempie says that runs in your family…like some weird version of the Baldwin boys.”

Avery twisted to stare at Temperance. “Nice asses run in the family?”

She shrugged. “I could have said something far worse. And I’m only guessing about Dylan. I still haven’t met him.” Something flashed in her eyes before she glanced away. “I’d hoped we’d get a chance on this trip since he lives in the Bay area, but…”

“I’m sure we’ll be able to arrange coffee or something equally as awkward.”

The lines around Temperance’s mouth tightened. “He disapproves of me.”

Avery muttered something under his breath, taking hold of one of her sister’s hands. “It’s not you, darling. You’re beautiful and smart, and the only thing he’d be is jealous. Trust me, it’s…” He waved his hand at the house. “This. Me, really.” He straightened, obviously trying to lighten the mood as he winked at her. “But I’ll try to make sure you get a chance the next time he visits. Speaking of which…perhaps we could get this one on the go. Sun’s already down, and I’m sure your sister doesn’t want to spend the entire night in here, as good-natured and inquisitive as she is.”

Annie held up her hand. “Hey, you guys came all the way from Phoenix for a visit. I’m not going to complain, even if we are spending part of it…” She motioned inside the shadowed room. “Here.” She raised an eyebrow. “Though I’m still confused exactly how we ended up in an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. I thought you two were investigating some ruins or something near San Francisco Bay?”

“We were until Avery got a call from another investigator. The guy said he’d been getting a bunch of anonymous tips about this place, but he was on a three-week hunt on the East Coast. He wondered if we’d be interested in checking it out.” Temperance chuckled. “Avery has a hard time saying no when it involves a place no one has investigated before.”

Annie glanced inside the open door again. “But how do you know the guy isn’t tricking you? That he didn’t send you here for nothing?”

Avery shrugged. “It’s possible, but I can tell you one thing for certain. There’s definitely more to this house than dust and pungent aromas. There’s an unusual energy here that feels like something other than simply a few restless ghosts. I get the sense something’s…”

Temperance stood up beside him. “Hiding.”

He glanced over at her, his face beaming with pride. “Exactly.”

Annie looked from her sister to Avery and back again, a disturbing thought settling in her mind. “Oh. My. God. You see them, too.”

Temperance’s face sobered as her mouth pinched tight. “Annie, I—”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me? Jesus, Tempie. That’s not the sort of thing you keep secret all these years. I mean…shit. Now I understand how you always seemed to get so lucky with your choice of outings.”

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